Trayvon Martin: Shooter was 'reacting to the color of his skin,' mom tells TODAY show

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, appeared on NBC News' TODAY show Monday, where she said the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot her son in Sanford was "reacting to the color of his skin."

Trayvon's death has made national headlines, as critics say the black 17-year-old was the victim of racial profiling.

George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon inside a gated community Feb. 26, claimed self-defense and has not been arrested.

That has set off a firestorm of public outrage, and Florida college students angered by Trayvon's death are scheduled to hold a rally Monday outside the Seminole County criminal courts building, where state prosecutors will review the case.

Fulton told TODAY co-anchor Matt Lauer that her son, who had a bag of Skittles, tried to get away from Zimmerman.

"He didn't know who this guy was," Fulton said. "He was trying to just get away from the situation."

Lauer asked Fulton if Trayvon would have been in an agitated state.

"No. He was never agitated," she replied. "He was mild-mannered. He was a nice kid."

Lauer noted that in a call to police, Zimmerman said Trayvon was up to no good, and asked Fulton to respond to the crime watch volunteer's remarks.

"He was reacting to the color of his skin," she said. "He committed no crime."

Lauer asked if there's one question she could ask Zimmerman, what it would be. Fulton said she wants to know if there was a different way he could have handled the encounter.

"I just don't understand why the situation got out of control," Fulton said.

The Martin family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, appeared on TODAY with Fulton, and said he thinks Zimmerman has no legal recourse.

Crump said Zimmerman got out of his car, armed with a gun, and chased Trayvon, who had a bag of candy.